


In All Things

by OnoNoKomachi



Category: Buzzfeed Unsolved (Web Series)
Genre: Age Regression/De-Aging, Anxiety, Gen, M/M, Middle Play, Non-Sexual Age Play, Self-Esteem Issues
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-11
Updated: 2020-01-11
Packaged: 2021-02-27 08:07:29
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,668
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22203823
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/OnoNoKomachi/pseuds/OnoNoKomachi
Summary: Ryan really needed to get out of his own head sometimes
Relationships: Shane Madej/Ryan Bergara
Comments: 1
Kudos: 41





	In All Things

**Author's Note:**

> This is a sequel of sorts, to the story written by TheseusintheMaze. They are incredibly talented.

In All Things

Ryan tended to keep things bottled up, locked up tight. He didn’t like the thought of letting his emotions pour out of him, unable to control what came out of his mouth. He had a habit of fumbling his words, tripping over himself, and making it difficult to get his point across. Ever since Shane had begun keeping watch over him, a new dynamic had emerged. It was strange at first, having your best friend preen and fuss over you. But as time went on, he became used to and even looked forward to the nights Shane came over. Ryan sometimes wondered if he was inconveniencing Shane, when he stayed at Ryan’s place. After all he was not obligated, and it must get annoying having to repeatedly tell him to eat something nutritious, or to get enough sleep. But Shane had not shown any signs that he was bothered by this.

The other part of this new dynamic they had developed were the _Talk’s_ , as Shane liked to put it. A Talk was whatever it needed to be, a way to let off steam, or more personal. The first time it happened, Ryan had had a particularly stressful day at work. He had rushed through everything he needed to get done, trying to not focus on the noise in his head. There were increasing deadlines, talks of layoffs, departments being dissolved, but that was out of his control. He could only do his job, and hope that the hammer wouldn’t come down on the Unsolved series. It was a tough job, the amount of research, travelling, including interviews, but it was worth it for the content that was produced each week. _Or at least it had been._

It had taken him awhile to notice, but he had begun to dread coming in to work. It was difficult to summon the motivation, with the metaphorical axe that was his employment hanging over his head. He tried to keep up appearances, for the sake of the staff. No reason to add more tension in an already stressful environment. He was an adult, he needed to keep it together. He had responsibility’s; he couldn’t lose his shit now. Despite the state things, he didn’t want to be thought of as unproductive, useless _. Don’t give HR a reason to boot you. Don’t allow Shane to think your falling apart._




Shane had noticed the subtle shift in Ryan’s mood. He had considered mentioning it to him, but decided that if Ryan wanted to say anything, he would. He cared about his well-being but was perceptive enough to realize that pushing a person too much could potentially backfire. He knew Ryan didn’t like to share what was on his mind, preferring to keep to himself. But Shane had known a few people who struggled with keeping things in, and the consequences hadn’t been good. One even ended up in a mental hospital, resulting from a breakdown. That had been the worst one of all. Maybe he was driven by a desire to not have Ryan suffer the same fate, but he may just a well be getting ahead of himself.

It was a few day later, that Ryan felt the need to do something. He was getting bogged down in his thoughts, and it was beginning to take a toll. Maybe he needed a reset, a day to not think about work, or potentially losing his job. He had a feeling that he needed more than a day off, but he couldn’t take a lot of time away from the office. Calling in sick wasn’t the best idea, considering the view some employers had of it. As it was, he rarely called in sick, and it might look a bit funny.

A power outage was the windfall he was looking for. There had been some sort of electrical failure, that would make the building unusable for at a least a week. Since most of the work had been shot and edited beforehand, they could delay the next episode release until the following week. It wouldn’t be an issue; the fans were more than understanding.

Since they were essentially given the week to themselves, Ryan thought of running an idea by Shane. An idea that had been tinkering in the back of his mind but hadn’t given voice to it. Partly out of embarrassment, and how Shane would react. He might be on board with it, or this would be the tipping point in their friendship. And Ryan couldn’t stand the thought of losing that.

How should he approach this? How do you explain to your best friend, that you want to be treated as a 14-year old? To experiment with scenarios, giving up control to someone else, if for just a short while? That was the heart of it, and the part that was distressing to Ryan. He had heard stories of certain relationships, the nature of them, and how they sometimes ended in more _physical activities._

This wasn’t that, at all. He valued his friendship with Shane too much, and he was confident in his intentions. But still, this type of relationship would likely be scorned by society. He sometimes wondered if he was sick, some sort of deviant to be wanting this. Which brought him to the present, and the reason for this whole affair. If he was wrong, then that was that. But if Shane was _interested_ ….

He read on a forum a while ago, that writing a letter may the best way to convey your thoughts. It was a concise way of delivering a message, and it was up to the recipient to read it or not. There wouldn’t be any interruptions, as in a face-to-face conversation, nor would he need to be there to experience the potential fallout. Grabbing several sheets of paper, he began to write.




The power failure happened on Saturday, and they most likely wouldn’t be back until the following Saturday, at the earliest. Which gave Ryan several days to come up with different ideas. He’d asked Shane if he would spend the week with him, being clear that he didn’t have to. Shane had agreed, considering that he already spent more time at Ryan’s apartment then his own. It was that afternoon that he had been given the letter, and while he didn’t understand everything he had written, he was relieved that Ryan had confided in him. That could be difficult, getting him to say what was on his mind.

He packed a week’s worth of clothing, including toiletries. While he was welcome to Ryan’s things, there is something about using familiar items. Checking that he had everything he needed, he locked his apartment and made his way to Ryan’s. _This is going to be an interesting week._

He arrived at around 9:00 p.m., having picked up food from a Thai restaurant. He figured Ryan would not be in the mood to cook or bother to eat anything. When he was absorbed in his work, certain things fell by the wayside. The main reason this whole thing had begun. He knocked twice, waiting to hear the familiar _snick_ of the lock being turned. When none came, he shifted the bag of food to the other hand holding his overnight bag and used his free hand to test the latch. Feeling no resistance, he slowly pushed the door open and went inside. Ryan must have left the door unlocked, knowing he would be coming later that evening. Standing in the living room, there was no sign of the shorter man. Placing the bag of food on the table, Shane went in search of his friend. Entering the bedroom, he saw Ryan lying on his back with headphones on. That explained why hadn’t received a response when he first knocked. He stood at the foot of the bed and made a waving motion with his hand. Ryan looked up, and broke into a grin. Getting up from the bed, he went to give his friend a hug.

“Any trouble on the way over here?”, he asked.

“No, but your door was unlocked.” Shane replied.

“Oh, yeah.” Ryan looked a little sheepish. “I figured it would be easier for you, to just let yourself in.”

“I understand that, but it’s a bit dangerous. This is Los Angeles.” Shane countered.

“No need to worry.” Ryan said. “It was only for tonight.”

“Well, as long as it was only for tonight.” Shane acquiesced. “So, what were you working on, before I came in?”

“Just some video clips, still shots, nothing important. We are pretty much caught up. I still need some footage from one of the guys, he’ll send it to me tomorrow. Other than that, I don’t need to deal with anything work-related.”

“Well that’s good. It means we’ll have the whole week to ourselves. Have you eaten? I brought Thai food.” Shane was eager to change the subject; he didn’t want to think about work or have Ryan dwelling on the subject.

“Starved, actually. Let’s eat.” Ryan set down his headphones and headed for the kitchen. He had been engrossed in his work that he had ignored eating food in favor of completing it. He wanted to stay on top of things, even if it was due to circumstances beyond his control.

But this week was about giving up control, responsibility, all the adult pressures that he had to live with each day. He simply needed to relax, to let someone else have control, if only for a bit.

The kitchen was clean, not through any effort. Mainly, Ryan hadn’t felt like washing multiple dishes, so he didn’t bother to cook. Which made the large bag of Thai food a welcome sight. Food for tonight, and leftovers tomorrow. Grabbing two paper plates, he helped Shane pull various entrees out. There was fried rice, eggs rolls, tofu, steamed vegetables, and soup. His stomach growled at the thought of enjoying it all. He was hungrier than he thought. Once all of it was unpacked, he began piling his plate. Once he was satisfied with the amount he sat down at the table. He waited for Shane to finish getting his plate, before digging in.

It’s true what they say, food taste great when your hungry. Shane sat down, looking thoughtful.

_He must be thinking about what I’m asking from him. Now’s as good a time as any. Rip the band-aid off._ Ryan’s brain really needed to be turned off.

They ate in silence, the tension palpable. Or what could be construed as tension. Very awkward silence. Both could sense the elephant in the room but neither wanted to address it. Which was funny, because they had done other things prior to this. Things they had both been mutually okay with. This week could be an extension of Shane’s presence in Ryan’s life. Or to judgmental eyes, they were both demented and deserved to be committed. Society tended to be less than forgiving. Ryan wasn’t sure which option would be worse.

He cleared his throat, the noise sounding very loud in the quiet apartment.

“So, what do you think? About what I’m asking?” Ryan could feel a lump of anxiety knotting in his stomach. He didn’t want to ruin...he didn’t want his friendship with Shane to end because of unresolved issues. Shane wasn’t a therapist. He could only offer advice and provide help in the best way he knew how. Maybe he really **did** need to see a therapist. Instead of placing this burden on his best friend.

“Ryan, look at me.” Shane prompted. When he made eye contact, Shane pressed on. “I care about, you’re my best friend. I want you to be happy, and I’m willing to whatever is necessary to make sure you’re alright. As to what you wrote in the letter, I’m not sure how best to approach this. Was there anything particular you wanted to try or maybe play it by ear?” He knew the general tone of the letter, but this was about Ryan. What he wanted, needed, and most importantly, be comfortable with. Shane had almost backed out of staying over but came to understand what was at stake. He didn’t want to do something wrong, and Ryan end their friendship over a misunderstanding. Which was why he wanted to be sure about what was going to potentially happen.

Ryan swallowed, trying to calm himself before responding. “Like I said in the letter, this is about giving up control, not having any responsibilities. I-I want to be treated like I’m 14 again, not having to worry about adult stuff. Just a regular teenager. I don’t have any plans, really. I thought you might be put off by the idea. Maybe you could write down few scenarios, and randomly pick one. If it’s something neither of us would like, we pick again. This way we don’t need to do anything we don’t want.”

Shane considered the proposal. It was worth trying, and like Ryan said, no need to commit to anything.

He pulled a sheet of paper from the counter and using the pen in his pocket began to write. He didn’t think to much about what he was writing, choosing to let his mind wander. It would be more authentic, rather than trying for a specific scene. After he had a list, he carefully tore the paper into strips. Checking to see if he’d accidently torn the writing, he placed them on the table face down. Motioning to Ryan to come select one, he closed his eyes. He didn’t want to give the impression of wanting a certain idea. A light tap on his shoulder, and he opened his eyes. Ryan had chosen the second item on the list. He studied it for a moment, then looked at Ryan.

“Is this what you want to try? You can pick something else if you want.” A firm nod was the response. Shane tucked the strip into the pocket of his jeans, then stood and began to clear the table. Since they only used paper plates, there was nothing to wash. Once the food was put away, Shane turned to Ryan with a stern look.

“Young man, it’s time for bed. It’s very late, and you need your rest.” Shane had to bite back a snort. It was a little strange to be acting as the “authoritative big brother”. He was more laid-back, easy going. With his usual amount of snark. Maybe this would be week of exploration for him as well.

“I’m not tired. It’s only 10:00 p.m. Can’t I stay up?” Ryan normally would have gone to bed, with Shane’s “help”. But he wasn’t an adult, needing help to wind down. He was a bratty teenager refusing to go to bed. And that both intrigued him and made him a bit anxious. _Just relax and let go._

“Ryan, you have two options, going to bed now or after I’ve spanked you.”

There it was. The spankings that Ryan had received were mainly to help calm him down, get him out of his head. The couple that he’d gotten for being less than cooperative, well those had hurt a bit more. Shane wasn’t harsh, he spanked just enough to give a memorable sting and warmth. Ryan guessed that the second option would result in sleeping on his stomach. He decided that a good night’s rest was the better choice.

“Alright, alright, I’m going, I’m going.” He turned to walk towards the bedroom. Five hard swats, two to each cheek, and one near his sit-spots surprised.

“No attitude, mister.” Shane had decided to fully engage, and what better way than with an attitude adjustment? He suppressed a smile at the sight of Ryan rubbing away the sting, heading to bed. He grabbed the bag with all his clothing and began to change. Seeing the couch was already made up for him, he settled in and was soon out.

**Author's Note:**

> This may be a little rough, as it has been quite some time since I've written any stories. I do find the dynamic between Shane and Ryan pretty interesting. In the way that two people can be best friends, but annoy the hell out of each other. 
> 
> I do take requests if there is something you want written  
> My twitter is OnoNoKomachi, same as my author name.


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